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whats the easiest way to shape those blocks to the contuor of the body? so far i just tried putting sand paper in the mold and sand away till it there. is there an easier way? thanks

Here's an idea I stole directly from Harry Fleishman, works pretty slickly. It requires a 12" disk sander and you make a new table for it with a metal lip for pattern sanding.

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Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR

That's a slick method.

I use a plane, then touch up with sandpaper face up on the bench.



Perhaps not quite as accurate, but it works well for me. Plus I like using the old tools.

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Chris,

I think the base of Harry's jig can be any shape, if I'm not mistaken. It doesn't rotate from a pivot, but butts up against the little fence next to the disk, so the curve of the base is duplicated on the block. Sort of a dupli-sander.

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Yeah, you just make a template for each guitar. I just glued down a photocopy of the plan I was working from and cut to the line. That is a downside, that you have to have two patterns for each shape of guitar you build. They're easy to make, though.

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Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR

I also do mine like Pat above.

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

I place a square block into the mold and check the center gap. Then I run my pencil down each edge of the block that amount. I have the center marked on each end.

Walking over to the benchtop sander 4 x 36 Delta, I sand down to the line on each side with a slight rocking motion. Not rocket science, and easy to do. The Titebond does the rest.....

I like the methods shown above though, really nice guys.

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Mark the curve off the mold onto the block, and rough it out (either a power sander or plane)
I then stick sandpaper inside the mold in the correct spot and use the mold itself as a curved caul, they fit perfectly every time! Only works if you build in deep molds though....

I do it like jammy, but I stick the sand paper on the inside of the guitar rim itself for fine tuning of the fit; this ensures a good match between the surfaces, and the height of the mold does not come into the equation.

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

I make them all freehand on the disc sander, but have been meaning to make a jig like Harry's for a while - no time !!!!

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"